> On Sep 6, 2021, at 09:13 , Phil Schempf  wrote:
> 
> In true galoot fashion, I’ve been planning a Nicholson bench for years. The
screws through the top of the bench have troubled me, with metal in a surface
that will get planed from time to time. I’m probably overthinking this as is my
usual MO. I suspect if I countersink the screws by half an inch, it will be
someone else’s problem by the time that much of the top is planed away.

That's exactly what I did, using deck screws. I originally plugged the holes and
carefully pared the plugs, but most of them vanished during a subsequent
flattening. It turns out that's an improvement: now I can see how close I am to
the screw heads (and just give them another turn with a brace, as needed). It's
not pretty, but it's easy and works great.

On another topic I saw in this thread, the bench didn't split when I moved from
green and damp Port Angeles to the desiccated land of Benton City. All of the
deck screws (no carriage bolts) have needed to be tightened in the fir base,
though.

Adam
Just say (tmPL), if you want to find the easy way to do something, just watch a
lazy man work.